Are you hot? Summer is heating up and maybe you’re looking for something new to do? Try some of these activities at Science Buddies.
This week’s activities are called Wacky Water Science.
You’ll find activities like Straw Siphons to move water from one container to another. What happens when you poke a plastic bottle full of holes? Can you stop the leak? Or build a submarine or even a sprinkler to water your grass or plants.
There are lots of other activities there as well like High Flying Stem where you can build a mini drone or Kitchen Contraptions where you can bake an ice cream cake.
So lots of ideas to keep you busy during the final weeks of summer. Check out these ideas and send me any pictures of your creations.
Our numbers are looking good but as usual I have to check all the entries to see if they are accurate. So keep reading!
How is the summer going for you? Are you remembering to read? We’re doing really well toward reaching our goal but we’re not quite there yet so don’t stop reading. Keep going and record those minutes!
Are you getting bored and looking for something to do? Check out sciencebuddies.org for lots of ideas on what you can do. Each week they post a different theme. This week’s theme is Crazy Contraptions where you can try your hand at making all kinds of things from crazy straws (that really work), paper roller coasters, solar ovens and even a pantograph. What’s a pantograph? Check out the website to find out. You might find it comes in handy for art class.
Hey! If you make something send me a picture I’d love to see what you create. Have fun!
This year the middle school and high school boys are working together to read a total of 260,000minutes. Teachers can help as well.
The boys also have personal goals. Each middle school boy should read 1,200 minutes and each high school boy should read 1,500 minutes. If we succeed in reaching our goals the principals have kindly offered us a free dress day in the fall.
They will record the minutes they read on the Reader Zone app.
If you haven’t downloaded the app on your phone or iPad you might want to do that. Using the app you have a timer: so start the timer, enjoy reading a good book, stop the timer and make the entry. Just go to your app store and get it for free.
You can keep see how we are doing in the Reading Progress link at the top of the page.
One thing I have enjoyed this summer is growing plants. Not all of them survived but I was able to enjoy eating some green beans and cucumbers that I grew in a pot. It was exciting seeing a vegetable appear where a blossom had been. There is still time to grow some vegetables so give it a try.
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This week Jason is asking you to imagine yourself as a plant. Take a listen to hear what he wants you to write about.
For science projects you are encouraged to go outside and explore nature or create thermometers, bird feeders, nests, fly traps and more. The first activity is about making a bird feeder. When I was growing up we had a humming bird feeder outside our living room window. It was always exciting when a humming bird appeared to drink the nectar. Try making a bird feeder out of recycled materials and see what kind of birds show up at your house for you to study.
In school we study about the parts of a flower but have you ever really looked at it closely? Take a flower apart by Dissecting a Flower. Are all flowers the same? Try different flowers to see if they have the same parts.
It’s getting hot outside. Try making a homemade thermometer to measure how hot it is getting outside. Test it with the Measure Up with a Homemade Thermometer activity.
These are just some of the interesting activities you can find in the Backyard Science blog. There are many more that might interest you so check it out.
Looking for some books to read to get you ready for going back to school? Read this book about outdoor photography. Take a few photos where you’re at and send them to me to post on the blog.
. This is a multi-use copy so many people can check out the book at the same time.
I’ve shared these multi-use e-books before but it is good to take another look at these since they fit this weeks theme perfectly. These books led me to gardening so take a look at them and see what ideas you get from them.
Enjoy this week and please share with me any activities you have tried. Post it in the comment section below or send me a picture or video to share what you’ve done.
When I was growing up my family and I would take a road trip to see my cousins every summer. Sometimes we would all travel to a National Park and go camping. Those were good memories I have with my family. This week Jason Reynolds is asking you to think about taking a road trip. Look at at map of Japan. Where would you drive to? Who would you take with you? Listen to the directions from Jason below, plan your trip and write about it. I’d love to read what you write so I can imagine taking a trip this summer.
On July 30th Nasa launched their latest mission to Mars.
Their mission is to use the Perseverance Rover to look for signs of ancient life on Mars. But even more than that they are going to try to produce oxygen on Mars for future expeditions. So this week’s science activities are all about rockets and exploration.
You can Launch a Homemade Baking Soda Rocket. This activity requires that you are 2 meters away from a building so find a good place to launch.
Or you can explore the stages of the rockets – how some parts of a rocket burn and then fall off – by building a Two Stage Balloon Rocket.
Or learn about how the Rover takes samples from Mars using candy bars in Candy Core Samples. Follow the instructions and then see if someone else can figure out which candybar it came from by looking at your samples.
Or build a Mars Rover Obstacle Course. You may need someone from your family to do this with you. All you need is a family member and a cell phone or walkie talkie to become the rover operator. If you have a sphero or some type of robot that you can program you might make the course and then see if you can run it through.
There are many other activities that may interest you more than these or perhaps you have the materials that make it easier for you to do. You can look at all the activities at the Mission to Mars Summer of Stem blog.
Looking from some good books? You might try these space adventures. Just type space into the DestinyDiscover to see more e-book titles.
A few years ago there was a TV program called Mythbusters. I loved that show as they did science experiments to show what could really be done and what couldn’t. This week’s activities have you creating and exploring unusual things.
We start out where Jason challenges you to create a roller coaster. Draw a picture of it, write about how it works. Check it out!
You can take it a step farther and actually build a model of what your idea is. Here’s one idea of how to build a paper roller coaster but make it your own. Use marble or ball to test it out, take a video and send it to me.
Here are some activities to try with science and engineering. These are strange activities but they all work. Can you do it?
Do you feel like cooking? Usually we get dry ice to make sure our ice cream doesn’t melt until we get home. But, what do you think will happen if you put ice cream in the oven? It will melt, right? Do this experiment to see if you can keep the ice cream from melting while it bakes in this activity: Bake Your Ice Cream.
There are 11 other projects that you may enjoy doing on the Science Buddies Strange But True blog. Choose the ones you want to try and let me know what happens.
Looking for some books that have strange topics? Check these out. The first book is a middle school mystery, the second book is fantasy/mystery ghost story (but not too scary). The last book is a humorous book for older readers about adults and children who spontaneously combust.
As always if you do any of the activities send me a picture or video to post on the blog.
Have you ever wished you could have more control over your life? This week Jason is asking you to create a remote control that controls the world around you. What things would you turn up? What things would you mute? Listen to his challenge and comment in the space below to tell me what you would do with a remote control.
Who doesn’t love a superhero movie? This week it’s Superhero Science.
I can’t turn you into a superhero but there are lots of fun activities that you can explore. Many superheroes have special costumes, gadgets or tools they use. Build yourself a robot hand. What will it look like? What can you do with it?
Perhaps you want to create a forceful blast of air? Make a simple vortex cannon. You can find out how to do this and many more exciting activities at Superhero Science.
If you’re looking for some books to read on superheroes check out these e-books.
This week for Jason’s challenge you can simply write your ideas in the comment section below. Here is a video you can watch to learn how to do that. It’s very easy. Or if you have a picture or video to show me your superhero activity email me the link and I will share it in the comment section below.
Summer is heating up and this week we are thinking about water to help us cool off. There is also a great camp where you are competing with kids from around the world and you can earn prizes! Keep reading to find out more.
This week Jason is thinking about the pool. What treasure can you find when you go swimming?
What kind of treasure and tale will you create? I’d love to read it.
This week you are challenged to have some Water Play.
You’ll find some great activities like, Build a Water Strider (a bug) from wire. Build an Archimedes Screw. What can you do with this screw? If you’re wondering who Archimedes is you might want to find out. You can find books on Archimedes at Open Library. Just do a title or subject search for Archimedes.
Did you ever hear of a hole that didn’t leak? Well if you’re wondering how that is possible check out Holes That Do Not Leak. Is it possible? Let me know what you find out.
This week I found a wonderful new opportunity! Camp Mo!
These are week-long summer STEM challenge camps. Sign up for a week that will help you gain skills in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. You will:
Sign up today for the week or weeks you want to participate in. As always please share with me and your classmates anything you make. And of course if you win a prize send me a picture to let us know what you won. Email me at odatej@smis.ac.jp
Summer is a time for picnics, ice cream and fireworks. This year may be different but we can still explore some typical summer fun through experiments and writing. This week Jason invites you to invent a new ice cream treat. Listen to his challenge and let me know what you create.
The weather is heating up and this week’s science activities are Fireworks and Picnics! And one of the activities is to learn how to make ice cream in a bag. What a perfect connection! So you can create your ice cream in a bag and then write about what you put in it for Jason’s challenge. Send me a picture of your ice cream.
Or perhaps you like shaved ice more? If so, try Homemade Slushies to cool off.
If you like fireworks there are a few activities you can try. One Underwater Color Bursts is a chemistry activity you can do by yourself. If mom and dad are willing to work with you and give you permission you may try a few of the other fireworks activities that are a little more explosive! Just be careful!
Looking for a good book? Check out these summer books.
A few other places you can find online books to read or audiobooks to listen to are Teenbook Cloud and Audiobook Cloud.
If you need the login information email me and I’ll send it to you. Remember to record all your reading in the Reader Zone app.
It’s hard to believe that June is almost finished and July is here! Are you keeping busy? Our hands-on activities are all kinds of ideas for Artists and Makers. What will you create this week?
This week Jason Reynolds is asking you to look at art and respond to a picture.
Ekphrastic this is a new word for me as well. It’s a Greek word that means “description”, using words to describe something.
Here is an example of Ekphrastic poetry by Wislawa Szymborska based on a picture by the Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
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Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Two Monkeys, Oil on Oak Panel, 1562. Art Media/Print Collector/Getty Images
…when silence follows a question,
he prompts me
with a soft jingling of the chain.
This week Jason challenges you to take a picture or even a photo you took on your phone. What do you see? What do you feel? What are you thinking? What is the story that you think is behind it?
Do science and art have anything in common? This week’s challenge for all ages are creative activities for artists and innovators with the Artists and Makers challenge.
This week you might want to check out the e-book Art and Architecture for some more ideas for science and creating. You’ll find activities such as separating and bending colors and light, how light affects pigment or separating pigments.
There are many more ideas of things you can create and explore in this book. So read and try all of the innovations you will find in this book. As always add your writing to the comments below or send me a picture or video of any of the activities you have tried.
Make sure you are adding your reading to the Reader Zone app! Middle school goal is to read 130 minutes a week. High school you need to read more pages than the adults. It’s a tight race so we need all boys participating.
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. This is a multi-use copy so many people can check out the book at the same time.
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